Danny Lee beats Bryson DeChambeau to deny Crushers 2nd straight LIV Golf team title

CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) — Danny Lee took control of a back-and-forth match against U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau by holing a hard-breaking birdie putt on the 16th hole to lead his Iron Heads past DeChambeau’s defending champion Crushers in the LIV Golf Team Championship on Saturday.

Iron Heads joined Legion XIII, Ripper and 4Aces in Sunday’s stroke-play finals.

“Like I’ve said all week, in match play anything can happen,” said Iron Heads captain Kevin Na, who teamed with Jinichiro Kozuma in alternate shot to beat Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III, 3 and 1.

Lee closed out his 2-up win over DeChambeau with an eagle on the par-5 18th at Maridoe Golf Club.

“As well as Danny has been playing and the momentum he’s been on and the confidence he’s got with the putter right now, I wanted to put him in singles again,” Na said.

Danny Lee beats Bryson DeChambeau to deny Crushers 2nd straight LIV Golf team title | iNFOnews.ca
Legion XIII alternate John Catlin hits from the 11th tee during the semifinals of LIV Golf Team Championship Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Carrollton, Texas. (LIV Golf via AP)

Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm, who won the LIV individual title last week, did not play because of severe flu symptoms. His replacement, John Catlin, lost in 20 holes to Cameron Tringale, but Tyrell Hatton beat Andy Ogletree 5 and 4, and Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent teamed in alternate shot to beat Phil Mickelson and Brendan Steele, 4 and 3, and eliminate Mickelson’s HyFlyers.

“We exchanged a few messages probably 10 minutes ago,” Hatton said of Rahm after his match. “He sounds like he’s doing a little bit better, which is good to hear.”

In the finals, the scores from all four players on each team will count toward the overall score.

Dustin Johnson beat Dean Burmester of Stinger 1 up and Patrick Reed beat Branden Grace 1 up for 4Aces, which won the inaugural LIV team title two years ago.

The Johnson-led 4Aces were 10th in the 13-team league entering the week.

Danny Lee beats Bryson DeChambeau to deny Crushers 2nd straight LIV Golf team title | iNFOnews.ca
Charl Schwartzel, of Stinger GC, reads his putt on the 12th green during the semifinals of LIV Golf Team Championship Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Carrollton, Texas. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP)

“Yeah, this year we struggled a little bit, but I feel like everybody is playing well now,” Johnson said. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of confidence going into tomorrow, and anything can happen.”

Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert won their matches to lead Ripper, the all-Australian team captained by Cameron Smith, past Fireball.

Danny Lee beats Bryson DeChambeau to deny Crushers 2nd straight LIV Golf team title | iNFOnews.ca
Captain Louis Oosthuizen, of Stinger GC, hits from the 17th fairway during the semifinals of LIV Golf Team Championship Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Carrollton, Texas. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via AP)

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